Dangerous Game
by rosebelikov.rosemalfoy.4ever
Summary: To save her elderly father, Rose will do anything. Armed with a silver stake and a ring that her best friend charmed, she is off to change her world.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The council had ordered an emergency meeting. Queen Tatiana started speaking as soon as everyone sat down. Her slight accent penetrated her words, making them that much more forceful.

"We have reason to believe that the Strigoi are amassing an army, banding together in ways never before seen. This means that soon we will be at war and there is no way to stop it. What should we do? How can we protect our people?"

Rufus Ivashkov spoke up first. "My queen, I recommend we call all royal Moroi back to Court, where we can more easily maintain control and guard all. If they all bring their guardians, we could last for months of siege, and the Strigoi would never be able to get in."

Marie Conta laughed at him. "What about all the other Moroi, and the dhampirs? Are we to leave them to fend for themselves, simply because they are royalty?"

Rufus sneered, "The dhampirs are beneath us, and while the Moroi are important, we simply don't have the room to protect them all. We must protect our ruling families."

Priscilla Voda chimed in, "Without the dhampirs, we wouldn't be protected! We cannot sacrifice them."

Tatiana frowned as the council began shouting back and forth. She glanced to her side and saw Hans Croft, the head of her guardians, and as such, the leader of all dhampirs. He was frowning and looked very worried. She knew that he had family living beyond the walls of Court. She called him over, wanting to get his opinion as this threat would affect his race as well.

"Hans, what do you think we should do?" She murmured, letting the council continue to fight amongst themselves.

"Your majesty, I would consider recruiting more guardians. There are many dhampirs that are not in service, and if we had a mandatory conscription, it would help. I would also advise training the Moroi to use their magic offensively, especially earth and fire users. They would be most useful in fighting the Strigoi. Of course, air and water are welcome, but not as crucial."

She nodded, reminded yet again, that this is why he was in such a high position. He had a good head for strategy.

Standing, Tatiana commanded silence. As the last of the arguments faded away, she outlined a plan, and set it in motion. Conscription notices were to be sent to every town. Each family, Moroi or dhampirs, were to send one man to the guardian training grounds at St. Vladimir's. No exceptions. She had spoken, and so it was done.

As the sun rose the next morning, a teenage girl crept out of her house, and into the forest. Hidden behind the trees, she began her morning workout, practicing with a dummy she had stolen years before from the guardians in town. She had watched them for years, and would come here to try the moves herself. It was her place of refuge. She didn't know if she was doing it right, but that wasn't important. What was important was the fact that if push came to shove, she would be able to defend herself. Glancing at the sun, she cursed under her breath, realizing that she'd lost track of time, again. If she didn't hurry, she would be late.

While she ran, she attempted to braid her long dark brown hair, knowing it was not a good idea to show up looking as if she had tumbled out of a haystack. After all, this was the day most girls in the village dreamed about. The day that she would meet the matchmaker, and find out if she was wife material, or if she was doomed to be a concubine, a mere blood-whore.

After all, a dhampir girl was only good for baring sons. Some Moroi men were willing to marry dhampirs, but most wanted a Moroi wife, and a dhampir on the side, reducing them to be looked forever down on as little more than a common whore, only saved from that fate by the fact that they generally only slept with the one Moroi. Even then, many of the royal Moroi had a Moroi wife, dhampir concubine, and Moroi mistress on the side. It was how things were done.

Janine Mazur glanced at the sundial, displeased that her daughter was late. Today of all days she should have been on time. Just then, Rose ran down the road towards her, panting like a dog in a summer sun.

"Rosemarie Mazur, where have you been? Look at you, you are all sweaty and you have sticks in your hair. Quick, get in the tub. We don't have long to get you ready."

"Mom, do I really have to do this? You know Lissa is planning to take me to Court with her when she finally gets to go. I could find someone there. You can't really think that a cranky old woman can know my destiny, do you?"

"Ekaterina Zeklos is a very wise Moroi. She paired me with your father, and look how happy we are. Now hold still while I do your hair. We have to make you presentable."

After her mother had dried her hair and pulled up into a bun, Rose was forced into a dress that, while it didn't expose much skin, clung to her curves and showed off her figure. It was a long red kimono style with a high neckline and embroidered flowers on the fine silk. Under different circumstances Rose could see herself wearing the dress, perhaps at a party, but at the moment it seemed wrong. Before she knew it she was being ushered into the matchmaker's hut.

Rose walked back to her father's house, eyes stinging with held back tears. Ekaterina Zeklos had decided that Rose was too outspoken to be of any good to a Moroi. Wives needed to be able to help support the common Moroi by having a marketable skill, and Rose had never had much patience for domestic talents.

Concubines, on the other hand, were seen not heard. They were servants to the royal Moroi in every way except as feeders. as such, how one impressed the matchmaker determined what station in life they were assigned. If only she was a boy. Men were sent to train as soldiers to defend against the Strigoi. Her parents had tried for years to have more children, yet none ever came, so they were content with just Rose. Her mother wised Rose was a little less rebellious, and her father longed for a son, as most men do.

Before she made it home, her best friend caught up with her. Lissa Dragomir was a Moroi, and not just any Moroi but one of the 12 royal families. She was being cared for by her uncle, until the Queen decided to bring her to Court to sit on the council.

Lissa looked at Rose and sighed. "You know, when I go to Court, you are coming with me. I'm sure we can find someone there for you. Forget what that stuffy old witch said about you."

Rose laughed, "Oh? And how do you know what she said to me?"

"First, I can see it on your face that it went poorly. Second, I stood under the open window of course." She looked sheepish.

This is how it had always been with them. When they were young, Lissa had been at the market with her older brother Andre. Rose was wandering around and saw Andre and his friend steal Lissa's doll from her. Rose was so mad that she walked up and kicked the stick that Andre was pretending was his horse and took the doll back. She then stood before Andre and began to yell at him about how rude it was to take toys from others and that just because Lissa was a girl didn't mean that he could do things like that. She would've continued her tirade, but Lissa had grabbed her arm and pulled her attention away from the boys who were looking quite scared.

Rose grinned at Lissa. "As long as I have you by my side, I'm sure no one will be too disappointed in me. After all, being the best friend to the future queen is kind of a big deal."

Lissa glared at Rose, "You know I'm not going to be queen. Surely Tatiana will name one of the older members of the council as heir." Rose sighed. Through their bond, Rose could see that Lissa really felt that way. She didn't see how good she would be for their society.

"Rose, there you are. We need to talk." Her father limped towards them, balancing on his cane. Lissa smiled at Abe as she walked away from them. _Hear him out Rose. Don't be rash._ She thought, knowing that Rose would listen.

"Hello Baba. I'm sorry I couldn't be the perfect daughter." Rose spoke with her eyes downcast. She couldn't bear to see the look of disappointment she was sure her father had on his face.

He gently grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Kiz, there is no way I could be disappointed in you, unless you stopped being you. You are my daughter and I am proud of you, no matter what. Someday the world will know it too. You don't need a bitter old woman telling you what to do with your life. In time, you will find your own path." Abe looked at his beautiful daughter, not wanting to tell her the news just yet. It could keep until after dinner.

That night, as they sat around the table, Abe broke the news "The Strigoi are pushing harder against the wards and Queen Tatiana has ordered all dhampir men over the age of 16 to report for training. It's up to them to stop this. She has also decided it's time for Moroi to fight again. I have been summoned, as an earth user. I leave tomorrow for St. Vladimir's Academy."

Rose slammed her bowl down and stood up. "You can't! Baba, you have already been hurt fighting against Strigoi. There are plenty of other men to fight! Let the young men go fight and die. You are too important to us to go. Let those who don't have families go fight."

"ROSE! It is my honor to serve my people and my family"

"So, you will die for honor?"

"I will die for what is right. I know my place; it is time you learned yours."

Rose stood up and ran outside. How could the Queen do this? Weren't there enough others to fill the ranks? Her father was an earth user, and she could see how that would be a useful talent in fighting the Strigoi. Surely there were plenty of other Moroi who could go. After all, many of the Ivashkov family were earth users. As Rose thought about this as she ran to her sanctuary. Of course, they wouldn't be sending royal Moroi to fight the Strigoi. That would be going against their 'holier-than-thou' routine. She quickly lit the lantern that she kept stashed with her trainer gear and began working out her frustrations.

Girls were forbidden to train as soldiers or even to really do any sort of training, but that hadn't stopped Rose. As she practiced her kicks and punches, an idea started to form in her mind. Late that night, as her family slept, she stole a silver stake from the stack that her father had been infusing with earth, the final element put into the stakes before they were sent off to the guardians, as well as the letter from the Queen that called him to the guardians and snuck out of the house.

In the dark, she traced the familiar path to her best friend's house. She crept around to the side window and eased it open. "Lissa, it's me" she whispered.

"Rose? What are you doing here, it's the middle of the night!"

"Lissa, I need you to make me a charm. One that will convince everyone who sees me that I am a boy. I am going to join the guardians"

"What? Why? You can't. I need you! I won't help you kill yourself." Her emotions flooded into Rose. Hurt that Rose would leave her now, worry over what would happen if Rose left, pride that Rose was brave enough to do this. She started to cry softly, not that there was anyone to wake up. Her parents and brother had been killed in a tragic accident a few years before, one that Lissa and Rose had walked away from with a few scratches, and the bond between them had been a result. Rose could feel Lissa tremble, she couldn't lose her best friend.

"Liss, I am never going to be a good wife or a concubine. I'm too strong willed to be. What else is there? Besides, my father has been summoned and I can't let him go. I already figured out a story." She smiled, with the look of someone who had figured out a plan. "I am going to be Jamie, Abe's bastard son from a drunken night a year before he married my mother. When we heard about the summons my mother decided it was time for me to know my father, so I could take his place, as war is a young man's game, not an old man who has already been injured by Strigoi. Please, please help me. I just want to do something good with my life. You know how much Baba means to me. I can't lose him." Rose pleaded, trying to get her friend to understand.

Lissa sighed, "Rose, you know I could never deny you anything. Let me find something silver of Andre's and by morning you will be on your way." Lissa turned, a serious look on her face, "Don't worry, I'll cover for you as long as I can."

Rose hugged her. "Thanks Lissa, you are the best!"

As Lissa set to work, she couldn't help but worry over her friend. If anyone discovered the truth about Rose, she could very well end up losing her best friend.

Authors Note: This is my first fanfiction, so hopefully it is ok. I've been working on this story since 2015 and am just know feeling comfortable posting this. Let me know! I do not own anything other than the story plot. Characters are owned by Richelle Mead, and some lines are from the Disney movie Mulan.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As dawn stole across the fields, a slight figure traveled down the road, a bag slung across slight shoulders and a silver ring glinted on a finger. According to Lissa, anyone who looked at her would see a boy with brown hair and eyes, a broad chest and a masculine face. However, Rose would have to still bind her breasts and pitch her voice lower if she wanted to fool anyone. The charm would alter her appearance but if anyone were to touch her, they would easily discover the truth.

When the sun had reached its apex, Rose could see the gates of St. Vladimir, the training camp specific for new guardians. Here the charm would be tested for the first time up close.

"I need to see your letter," said the guardian at the gate. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the name listed. "Mazur? Abe Mazur has a son?"

"He doesn't talk about me much." Rose replied in a gruff voice, praying her nerves wouldn't change her tone.

The guardian looked at her queerly but after a pause waved her through. "Report to Captain Belikov. You'll find him on the east side of campus."

"Thanks." Rose said and walked into the grounds. As she found her way to where she was supposed to go, she walked through a cloud of clove smoke.

There were four men standing together. The tallest of them, a Moroi with tousled brown hair and emerald green eyes similar to Lissa's spoke first. "Well boys, looks like we have a new recruit. Tell us princess where did you come from."

The other Moroi, with black hair and icy blue eyes, turned, "Princess?"

"Well look at him, it's clear he's never trained a day in his life." With a smirk on his lips. His eyes flicked to her ring as she stared at him. What did he know about her? She had trained, albeit not under a guardian. She lunged at him, trying to prove him wrong. He was knocked back into the two dhampir boys who'd been standing there as well. They pulled her off of him, and before long fists were flying in every direction. She got in a good on hit on the shorter of the two boys, the one with red hair. The blonde boy punched her gut. All eyes turned to watch the fight. With an especially hard kicked to her shin, Rose lost her footing and fell, the others landing on her in a heap, a voice shouted pulling their attention.

"Guardians!" Everyone jumped to attention, leaving Rose to clamber to her feet. Her eyes slowly raised to meet those of the man who had spoken. He was tall. Very tall. Probably 6'6 or 6'7. His hair was brown, tied back into a ponytail. His chocolate eyes widened for a moment when Rose met his stare with a glare as if upset that she had been interrupted. She rubbed the ring to make sure it was still in place. He blinked, looking quizzical for a moment, then spoke again, a note of authority in his voice.

"What is the meaning of this? You are here to train to fight Strigoi, not each other."

The Moroi who was truly to blame pointed at Rose, "He started it!"

The captain, Rose was sure of his rank if nothing else, looked back at her, anger evident in his eyes though his face maintained indifference, "Novice, what is your name?" he barked.

Rose stuttered, her perfectly rehearsed story wiped from her mind as she tried to face this giant.

"My name is Jamie."

"What is your surname novice?" He snarled, glaring at her lack of respect and discipline. Rose cringed, she hadn't thought of a surname, assuming she would only use her first name in all forms as address.

Seconds passed, and she tried to stammer out something, but words wouldn't come.

"I asked you a question, novice. Now tell me, what is your surname?" He rolled his eyes with impatience. Daring the boy to continue defying him, he stepped closer letting his superior height intimidate him.

"Hathaway" She breathed, her heard pounding as he leaned over her, emphasizing just how small she was.

"Well then, Hathaway, let me see your letter." He glowered at her and stuck out his hand. As he read her letter his face slipped out of the stony mask he wore for just a second, eyes bulging and he inhaled sharply.

"Mazur, Abe? The Abe Mazur? Zmey? I thought he only had a daughter." He said with a suspicious look, remembering the slip of a girl he had seen while visiting Abe nearly 5 years ago, after becoming a guardian. The boy who stood before him would be about the same age as that girl, and from what he remembered of her, their hair color was almost identical. Before he had time to delve into this budding suspicion, the teen spoke again, crushing his theory.

"So did he. I'm the result of a drunken liaison, shortly before his marriage." She paused, thinking about how that part was actually true. Her parents almost didn't get married over it. A child hadn't been conceived, but oh how furious her mother was when she found out. It was a story that her father had told her one night after her parents had argued about Abe wanting to go out with some friends. "When I heard about the mandatory recruitment, I found him and told him I would go in his place. So here I am." Rose was trying very hard to play the part, she clenched her fists by her side, rather than throw out her hip like she naturally would when confronted.

"Very well. Jamie Hathaway- get back in line." The guardian turned to the group, "Tonight guardians, you are going to be assigned groups and dorms. I am Guardian Dimitri Belikov, but you will call me either Guardian Belikov or Sir at all times. Tomorrow your real training begins, you've been warned."

"Yes Sir!" everyone replied and set about their way.

Dimitri Belikov. The legendary badass god of the guardians. She remembered seeing him from a distance when she was 12. He had come to see her father about something, and nosy though she is, something about this man had made her feel both scared and safe. For once she hadn't spied on her father, and so didn't know anything other the rumors that continually floated around.

When Rose got to her dorm, she was dismayed to find that someone was already there. She'd hoped that because she was one of the last to arrive at camp that she'd get her own room. Keeping her secret would be that much harder with a roommate. Of course she'd get stuck with the one that caused her loss of temper, resulting in Captain Belikov already singling her out.

"Hello, roomie. Now... before you attack me again, tell me Jamie what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to learn to fight Strigoi, same as you. Who are you anyway?" Rose glared with her arms crossed.

He laughed, "Oh little dhampir, if only you knew...Well, I am Adrian Ivashkov and I am a spirit user." He gave a dramatic bow, "And that means that little silver charm on your finger won't work on me. So, before I go tell Belikov that you are in fact, a girl, tell me why are you really here?"

Rose sighed. There was no way out of this one. But could he be trusted? Perhaps it would be good for someone to know her secret, he could help her hide it, and even renew her charm if she needed him too! What were the chances that there was another spirit user, and they would be roommates?

Rose had no choice but to trust him.

"Alright, Adrian, I'm trusting you." Rose took a deep breath, "My name is Rose Hathaway Mazur, and I came to take my father's place. I couldn't bear to see him back in war, honor or not." She paused, then added, "Before you get any ideas, I'm not a girl who can marry because she was told to. I have my own opinions and ideas, which apparently makes me too outspoken to be of any use. If I stayed home, I would be left with no future. At least, not a future I want to think about. "

Adrian chuckled as he pulled out a flask from his pack. Offering it to her, he was surprised when she grabbed it and took a long swig. This girl was definitely not like any he'd ever met, and living at court he knew hundreds.

"Well, princess, I can't say I blame you for wanting your old man safe, but you are still a girl. What makes you think you can fight?" He gave her a serious look. "I bet that you will get knocked on your ass enough tomorrow you won't be able to sit for a week. Belikov won't go easy on you if you are weak, he will push harder. He earned his reputation and trust me, he won't be let it go anytime soon. He will send you home in disgrace if you can't make the cut." Adrian let his words sink in, can't say she wasn't warned. "But if he finds out you are a girl… let's just say that the Strigoi will be the least of your problems." Adrian glanced at Rose, taking in her pale face as she realized what he meant.

Rose looked at Adrian, she was about to speak when suddenly she was pulled into Lissa's head.

 _"_ _Please Lissa, just tell us where Rose is! She was gone when we woke up and hasn't been back all day. Normally she comes home for dinner, or lets us know if she is with you. I know she was upset last night, it makes sense that she would come to you." Abe Mazur was pacing in circles around Lissa's parlor. He was clearly concerned as to where his daughter was, but it hadn't yet hit him what she had done._

 _"_ _Mr. Mazur, I'm sorry but Rose really isn't here. She came by last night and wanted to talk. When I told her that I thought Queen Tatiana had made the right choice in the conscription, she got mad and left. I haven't seen her since. Did you notice if anything of her things are missing? Or perhaps she is at her spot in the woods. Or hiding watching the guardians practice again." Lissa was trying to send Rose's father off on a wild goose chase, hoping that Rose had made it to St. Vladimir's and was getting settled. She hated the bond most of the time, but right now she really wished it was two-way so she could talk to Rose._ _ **Rose, if you are listening, I miss you already. I really wish I could tell your parents what is going on, so they wouldn't miss you as much**_.

Rose pulled out of Lissa's head and sighed. Things would be easier if she could respond, to let Lissa know that she is okay, and that it was too late for her parents to do anything, at least without her getting thrown in prison.

Rose looked back at Adrian who was staring at her with a quizzical expression, but before either of them could speak, a horn rippled through the air.

"Novices! Line up! You have work to do." A voice resonated through the building. Feet thundered as they hurried to get into place on the lawn to find out why they were being called from their rooms when they should have been going to go to bed.

"Men. I am Captain Ivan Zeklos. Unlike Captain Belikov, I'm not as formal. Feel free to call me Ivan." He winked, his blonde hair and blue eyes giving him a handsome, but friendly look. "You will be divided into groups of 5 and sent to work in various areas of the camp making sure everything is setup up for training to begin. If it is wrong, you will do it again. If you have to be up all night, so be it." He paced in front of them. Due to his attitude, he must have been second in charge. Dimitri Belikov stood behind him leaning against the wall. Rose couldn't help but think that no one that tall should be able to be that graceful.

To Rose's horror, and Adrian's apparent humor, she was assigned to Group C. They were assigned to clean the bathrooms. When they arrived to start cleaning, Rose's horror only grew as the other three men in her group were the same three that she had gotten into a fight with. Adrian quickly introduced her Christian Ozera, Eddie Castile and Mason Ashford. Christian was the black haired Moroi who's element was apparently fire, which Rose found out to her annoyance when he lit her rag on fire. Eddie was sandy-haired with hazel eyes while Mason was a freckled, red-haired, blue eyed boy who seemed like he would be fun to be around.

As they set to work, Rose couldn't help but yawn, wondering how much longer until they could sleep. She was already exhausted and couldn't imagine trying to stay up all night with training starting in the morning. Based on his reputation, she knew Dimitri wouldn't go easy on them. She determined that no matter how tired she got, she would push through and prove her worth.

"Hey Princess, why did you attack me earlier?" Adrian broke through her thoughts. Christian sniggered at the nickname again.

"Perhaps because you insist on calling me that ridiculous name. My name is Jamie, or Hathaway. So if you want to keep your head, you'll call me one of those." Rose turned away from the rest, clenching her teeth and scrubbing harder at the floors.

"Maybe we should just call you Rosie." Christian replied. "After all, you smell like roses."

Eddie laughed, "And just how would you know what he smells like? I didn't know you were that close to each other already."

Christian flushed, stammering over his words, "Of course not you sod. When we all joyfully piled on top of him either, I had to deal with the stench."

Rose threw a rag at him just as Ivan came to inspect their work, earning the group another hour of cleaning.

Captain Belikov was sitting in his office, trying to decide what exactly to have them do. He had already ordered Ivan not to let Group C go until an hour or so before roll call. He had re-arranged the groups so that the boys who fought earlier would have to work together. He thought about what he knew and how it could work into his plan to weed out the 'weak links' that Queen Tatiana had seen fit to saddle on him.

Adrian he knew quite well, as they had grown up together, and since he was friends with Christian's aunt Tasha, Dimitri knew those two got along fine. Castile and Ashford had also grown up together, so it looked as if the 4 of them would do well. It was the Hathaway boy he wanted to break. Something about him crept under Dimitri's skin. No one had ever defied him before, at least not that easily, and he was not about to let this boy get away with it. If he had to punish the whole group just to break the one, he would.

Dimitri Belikov would see to it Jamie Hathaway left camp before the month was out.

AN: Thank you for your wonderful reviews! Just so you know, I will never hold this story hostage for reviews. That actually really bothers me when I see authors do it, so… not gonna happen! I would love know what you think though, so please do review. For this story, I don't have a set upload schedule, due to the fact that I have 2 toddlers and I'm a full time student. I will try to upload a chapter a week, hopefully more some weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A horn blasted the air. With a start, Rose rolled out of bed, barely having gotten an hour of sleep. Ivan had made them scrub the bathroom 3 times before he declared it complete and sent them to bed. She peeked out the window and groaned. Adrian started at the noises across the room and mumbled.

"What time is it?" Each word was spoken around a yawn.

"Before sunrise. I sure hope this isn't normal." Rose spoke while tugging her shirt into place. Since Adrian knew her secret, she tried to maintain a sense of modesty. As Adrian moved to pull the blanket back over his head, Rose stepped up beside it and pushed him off the bed. He crashed to the floor and moaned.

"What was that for Hathaway?" He shouted.

"You need to get up. I bet Belikov will get mad at us if we are late." Rose made sure her ring was securely in place and opened the door. She wasn't expecting the 6'7 man that was standing there, glaring down at her.

"Ivashkov, Hathaway. You are late. Get out on that field and give me 5 laps. NOW!" Dimitri Belikov snarled at them.

"How can we be late when it hasn't even been 5 minutes since that asinine horn made us get up? I don't know about you, but there is no way I am running before I eat breakfast. Especially since you made us get up before dawn." Out of the corner of her eye, Rose could see Adrian frantically trying to get her to stop talking.

Dimitri was stunned for a beat then retorted, "And now you have earned yourself and Ivashkov here an extra 3 laps. If you'd like to make it an extra 5, please keep talking."

Rose glared at him, "You know Comrade, perhaps you should try to be a little nicer. After all, it isn't your fault that Ivan kept us up all night. Or maybe it is, you know since you are large and in charge." Adrian was now hitting his forehead into his palm.

"Ok Hathaway, time to go." He said pushing her past Dimitri. Under his breathe he muttered, "You are going to get us both killed by the Russian if you don't stop!"

Dimitri followed them out onto the field. Everyone else was already gathered and standing at attention before Ivan.

"Ivashkov, Hathaway! You are late. That's an extra 5 laps for your whole group." Ivan barked.

"In case your small minds can't comprehend basic math, that means the 2 of you now owe us an extra 10 laps, since you insisted on talking back to me." Dimitri said before addressing the whole group.

"All right Groups A, B, and D, give us 10 laps. Group C, you owe us 15. Get going." Dimitri stared at the groups as they started running. Ivan walked over to him and chuckled.

"You know; they were only late because of you. How is your aunt going to take it if you abuse your command just because of one boy? I think you need to just forget your notion that something is up and just leave him be. Yes, he's a little crazy but I don't think that it's worth your time to get him to leave."

Dimitri glared at his best friend. "He is more than a little crazy, he is wild, insubordinate, dangerous and if he doesn't leave camp, he is going to get us all killed. Jamie Hathaway is a menace."

"How can you possibly know that? You've spent, what 10 minutes in the man's presence and suddenly you're an expert in all things Jamie Hathaway? Give the kid a chance. You never know. One guy could make all the difference in this fight." Ivan wanted to say more, but at that moment a fight broke out.

Rose was running as best she could. She'd completed the first 5 laps without issue. After that however she started to suffer. Her muscles were burning. At home, the most she ran was a mile. It wasn't proper for a girl to go running, and so she'd only ever ran in secret. She told herself that she could do this, all she needed was a point to run to. She picked the bench on the other side of the track. Her pace increased as she focused.

She closed her eyes for just a moment before she went flying. She hit the ground with a thud and the air whooshed out of her lungs. A weight was pressing into her. Frantically she wiggled out from underneath the man, before he could feel something he shouldn't. Standing, she turned to see who she had ran into. Just her luck, it was Christian Ozera, the fire-user assigned to her group. He started shouting at her.

"You clumsy oaf! You're lucky I wasn't hurt. Are you such a princess that you think everyone will move out of your way? Learn to watch where you are going!" His hands held flames in them.

"Perhaps you should watch where you are going Ozera. I didn't see you in front of me, and I know I passed you which means you purposefully tripped me. I didn't know that you wanted to touch me that badly. Sorry to tell you this, but you're not my type."

"What are you implying?" Christian snarled, then lunged. Reaching out with his longer arms he punched Rose. Or at least tried to. She dodged away and started circling, looking for an opening. Before she could counter attack, a voice spoke from behind.

"Men. Stop fighting and continue running. You each have 15 more laps to go." Dimitri was towering over them, his hands held loosely at his side, but one could tell he was ready to jump into the action if needed.

Christian glared at Dimitri, muttering under his breathe. The words Aunt Tasha, hear about this, and crazy kid is gonna kill me were heard, but ignored as he followed instructions. Rose however didn't move. She gazed up at Dimitri with a vacant look on her face. He moved towards her, wondering what was going through the young boy's mind when suddenly the light came back into her eyes and she started to run again.

Dimitri stared after him, trying to figure out what just happened. _It was like the kid had been having a conversation inside his head._ He shook his head and stepped back outside the track to see how everyone was doing.

Rose ran. Slowly the others who hadn't been assigned extra laps finished theirs and went to stand on the sides. Soon it was just her group left. After the fight with Christian, she had slowly been losing stamina. By the time Eddie and Mason had finished their 15th round, Rose was still on her 12th. A few minutes later and it was just her left. She still had 4 rounds to go. Her vison was tunneling. She couldn't see anything outside of what was straight ahead of her. Distantly she heard voices shouting at her, but she couldn't comprehend what was being said. Suddenly, the ground tilted up and her legs gave out from under her.

"Hathaway! Get up. You still have 2 rounds to go. Don't make me drag you around the track." The voice was harsh in tone, but smooth as velvet.

Rose struggled to get to her feet. When she did, she swayed back and forth. It took her a minute to find her voice but when she did, she snorted.

"In case you didn't notice, comrade, I can't walk right now. Let alone run. Perhaps you could find a wheel barrel and I could sit in it and let someone push me around the rest of the laps. I already did more than anyone else. I don't think running is going to help me beat Strigoi."

Adrian was standing off to the side and was trying frantically to get Rose's attention. When he caught her eye, he mouthed, "Knock it off! He will break you."

She rolled her eyes. Dimitri caught it and thought it was aimed at him.

"Alright Hathaway. You win. No more running today. Instead, you are going to spar. With me. I will give you 5 minutes to compose yourself. I will not go easy on you." He stormed away.

Rose looked over at Adrian, "Well, that went well, don't you think?" Her tone was flippant, but Adrian could see the touch of fear in her aura.

"You really need to stop tormenting the Russian. He isn't known for his patience. Trust me, I grew up with him. He isn't someone you want to mess with. Plus, he is really protective. If he finds out the truth about you, he will send you home faster than you can say "Strigoi" Hathaway." Adrian cautioned her.

Slowly they walked away from the track and towards the sparring circle. Already most of the other novices were gathered around. Rose took a few sips of water from a cup that Mason had pushed at her as he walked by. She knew that she was about to get her butt handed to her, but she was going to put up a fight first. She ran through everything she knew from watching the guardians back home. She was tired, but as long as she could keep out of his reach, she should be fine. Granted, his reach was huge compared to hers. _I wish Lissa were here. She would have helped me see reason and to not have gotten into this mess._ Before long, Dimitri called her into the ring. 

"We go until the other cannot get up. This shouldn't take long." He cast Rose a disparaging glance. "Ivan will keep us in check. No head shots. Everything else is fair game."

Rose glanced at Adrian who gave her a thumbs up. Eddie and Mason seemed to be betting on how long she would last and Christian was smirking. She would show them. She had too.

Ivan shouted, "Begin!"

Rose immediately lashed out at Dimitri, trying to land a punch. He nimbly jumped to the side and kicked her legs out from under her. She fell.

The fight hadn't lasted 30 seconds. Dimitri straightened up and turned his back to her. He started to address the group before there was a banshee like scream behind him and he felt something collide with his back. Quickly using his weight as the advantage, he flipped them over and pinned Rose to the ground.

She panted, glaring up at him. "I had you."

He smirked, "The battle cry gave it away." He noticed that he was still pinning the boy down and quickly got up. His smirk faded into a frown. The boy was very slim, but he'd noticed something was different. He couldn't figure it out though. Turning to the group he began making assignments.

"Novices! Split into partners and spar. I need to see how far along you are."

Rose was partnered with Mason. After the 6th time of getting knocked to her butt, Eddie stepped in and did the same. She was beaten by everyone who approached her. Even Adrian was able to knock her off her feet in less than 3 minutes.

At long last Dimitri called a halt and told everyone to go get dinner. "Hathaway!" He barked as she walked past him.

"Yes captain?" She was so tired; she didn't have the energy to be snarky with him.

He sneered down at her from his considerable height, "I've made a decision about you. You don't belong here. Go home. You are nothing but a boy pretending to be a man and failing miserably. You will only bring pain and death to those around you as you are so hopeless. Get out of my sight."

He stalked off in the other direction, his leather duster floating behind him.

 **AN: Thank you everyone for continuing to read this story, it really means a lot to me. Like I said last time, I don't have a set update schedule. I was out of town for the last 3 weeks as my sister graduated high school, and my daughter had never been to her grandparents place! Now I'm back, so things will be uploaded faster… hopefully! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story. I have lots of fun planned for it in the future.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Rose walked silently back to her room. Her thoughts tumbled so much that it was difficult to figure out what she was thinking. She knew something needed to change. She needed to improve and fast because if she got kicked out… well it was only a matter of time before someone found out her secret if she was sent home and 'Jamie Hathaway' completely vanished. She starting thinking. Perhaps if she got up before everyone else and ran, she would be able to build up her endurance. Nothing though could prepare her for the beating she took from everyone. Hitting a flour sack was nothing like hitting a person. For one thing, the sack never hit back. Her knuckles were bruising, and she knew her ribs were going to be a mess of black and blue by morning.

She slammed the door behind her and Adrian started up from his bed. He took one look at her and started laughing.

"Who ran you through the mud, Hathaway?"

"Belikov. He seems to have taken an immediate disliking to me. He just told me to go home." Rose flung herself on her bed, too tired to do anything else.

"Hm, well I don't think you should. You just haven't done anything like this before and most others here worked in the fields, so they are already stronger than you. You just need to figure out how to beat them." Adrian moved to sit next to her.

"I wish Lissa was here, it's going to be hard to breathe in the morning with my ribs how they are right now."

"Is that one of her powers? She can heal? That is amazing. I wish I could do that." Adrian sounded put out.

"Have you ever tried?" Rose was intrigued. What could Adrian do if he couldn't heal?

"Well, not really. I could always try with you though. If you want to try, you should remove your ring. I don't want to interfere with the magic in it." Adrian was excited. He loved the idea of playing with his magic. "I'll lock the door so no one can come in. We wouldn't want your secret to get out." He winked at her and walked to the door.

Rose pulled off her ring and set it on the table. She trusted Adrian, but still wished Lissa were there. Adrian set next to her and gingerly took her hand in his. Concentrating, he focused on the bruises forming there and pictured them healed. The coloring faded slightly.

"Amazing! It worked, well a little. I wonder how well I can fix them? Let me keep going." Adrian was rambling. Rose smiled at him. It was pretty cute. But no, she had no time to think about things like that. She couldn't afford to get involved with a guy right now. Her life was at stake. As she was looking in Adrian's emerald green eyes, a pair of brown eyes swam into her mind. She shook her head, why was she thinking of him?

"Your hands are perfectly fine again. Would you like me to check your ribs? I've gotten a feel for the magic, so it shouldn't be a problem now. I'll be quick. Just take off your shirt." Adrian startled her out of her thoughts.

"No funny business though, alright?" Rose shrugged out of her shirt. She normally wouldn't dare to do this, but realized that if Adrian didn't at least partially heal her ribs, she wouldn't be able to do anything in the morning.

Adrian gently touched her ribs with his hands. They continued to quietly talk, neither one noticing that the window blinds had been left open and that someone was out there watching them.

The bruising on Rose's ribs had faded to yellow, now looking several days old. Adrian released her and the magic and stood, trembling.

"I'm going to go have a smoke. You should get some rest."

"Thank you Adrian. I appreciate it. I'll talk to you in the morning. Good night." She laid down and shut her eyes.

Adrian closed the door behind him and strolled outside, lighting one of his clove cigarettes as he did so.

"Ivashkov, I think you are hiding something from me." A voice called out to him. He spun around, reaching out with his magic to sense the aura of whomever was around. A flash of blue and green showed him that it was Ivan.

"Zeklos, I'm sure I don't know what you mean." Adrian was on guard. He had many secrets he had to keep, and didn't want to give anything away.

"Perhaps you can explain why there was a girl in your room? A girl who looked remarkably like Jamie Hathaway, who was not in your room though I saw him enter an hour or so ago." Ivan stared at him and raised his eyebrow.

"Well, I can neither confirm nor deny anything that is not my secret to tell." Adrian told him what he wanted to know. Jamie Hathaway could get killed if this got out.

"Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't tell your cousin the truth?" Ivan glared at Adrian, disappointed in one of his two best friends.

"Have you seen Dimitri show this much disdain for anyone before?" Adrian raised an eyebrow, questioning Ivan, trying to get him to see reason without giving anything away.

Ivan thought for a moment. Sighing he replied, "Not really. Last time he showed any emotion really was with Natasha, when he was first attracted to her. Wait you don't mean to say that he is attracted to Jamie, do you? Does he know the truth? I can't believe he didn't say anything to me."

Adrian started laughing, "He doesn't know the truth. And he knows that there is something about this 'boy' that he wants to protect, which is why he is so hard on 'him'. I've seen their auras. So bright, especially for people who haven't met before."

Ivan joined in the laughter, "I bet Dimitri is so confused right now! Imagine being attracted to a guy who is really a girl but not knowing that. I'm gonna have some fun dropping hints."

Adrian stopped mid-laughter. "Dimitri said he didn't want to see him again and to go home. But Jamie is determined to stay. She's planning to get up earlier to run, build up her stamina. She needs help training though. Any ideas?"

Ivan thought about it and snapped his fingers when the idea struck, "Here, give her this key. It will get her into the private gym. If she goes when Dimitri is busy elsewhere, he'll never know." Ivan dropped a silver key into Adrian's hand. "I've got to go, Dimitri wanted to see me before bed. Perhaps I'll tease him a little about his crush on our resident cross-dresser."

 **Hello! Thank you for sticking with me. Life has been busy lately! So this chapter is pretty short, sorry about that but it was either have it be short or have it be ridiculously long! I'm working hard on Chapter 5, and hope to have it up by next Friday, but let's be honest, life sucks. Also: Thank you so much for your reviews! WIth this being my first fan-fiction, it helps a lot! This is a retelling of the story of Mulan, and any lines you might recognize belong to Disney! Characters are the property of Richelle Mead!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rose awoke before the crack of dawn. Next to her head was a note and a silver key. Glancing at Adrian, who was still sound asleep, she grabbed the items, toed on her shoes and crept out the door. In the light of the hall she read,

 _Hathaway, Zeklos gave me this key to give to you. It will open the gym in the staff area. AVOID BELIKOV! Keep your ring on and your head up. He can't actually kick you out until the end of next week, so keep up the hard work and it will all work out._

 _-A._

Shocked, she glanced back at the key. Ivan gave this to her? Why? Logging away that question, she quickly headed to the staff gym, intent on getting some practice in before anyone else woke up.

Rose was so into hitting the bag that she didn't hear the door open.

"Hathaway, you are doing that wrong." She shrieked and whirled around. Mason and Eddie were standing behind her.

"How did you get in here?" Eddie asked.

"I was given a key. I need to figure out how to fight before the end of next week or Belikov is going to send me home. I can't go home in disgrace." She felt tears prick her eyes and quickly fought to get her emotions under control. The red head stared at her and took a step towards her.

"Let us help then. Eddie and I were taught by the captain, well at least we started to train with him." Mason glanced at Eddie who nodded.

Rose sighed. She did need the help, and they had kicked her trash the day before.

"Very well, teach me all you know."

They started. Before the hour was up, they had corrected her stance and her punch.

"Don't close your fist over your thumb, you'll break it. Keep your thumb on top. Strike out and keep your other hand up to protect your face. Keep your weight on your back leg, so you can twist easier. A good punch comes from the hips, not the arms— that twist is your powerhouse. You are small, the advantage is that you can evade. The disadvantage is that you have to get closer in to reach anyone. Stay light on your feet, wear the other guy out. Anyone fighting you won't view you as much of a threat, so you can surprise them."

The advice kept rolling. Mason and Eddie knew what they were talking about and now Rose was benefiting from it. Before long though, the horn sounded and they raced out of the gym before anyone caught them in there.

Rose was standing between Mason and Eddie on the parade ground when Belikov came walking out of the dorms looking pleased. He almost seemed to be skipping. Rose took half a step back so that she was out of sight.

"Good morning men! Now that we are all here, it is time to kick up training a little. Today we are going to work on team work. Each group will be given a clue. This clue will lead you to another clue and so on. The first group back will be granted the rest of the day off. Everyone else will be on KP." Belikov was definitely in a good mood.

They broke into groups, Rose still keeping out of his sight. Ivan came over to hand them their clue.

"Hathaway, good to see you. Belikov was afraid you left in the night when your bed was empty this morning. I can't wait to tell him you're still here. I can't let you get away from him." Ivan winked at her.

"Zeklos, please don't tell him. I want to surprise him when we are the first group back. His eyes will roll, won't they. After all, to him I'm just a little boy. He won't expect me to be here, or to win this race. Thanks for the key by the way. It has already come in handy. I think by the end of next week, I will be able to hold my own." Rose smiled at him.

"Haha, I'm sure you will. With Mas and Eddie helping you, you will be able to beat most of the guys in this camp." Ivan handed her the envelope with the clue. "Now get going, I believe you have Captain to surprise."

He sauntered off still laughing.

"Alright, let's see what this clue says. 'When you have had a long day, you often want to enjoy, a long relaxing bath, but alas no luck. What would you do beside? Where would you take a rubber duck?'"

Adrian stared, "What kind of clue is that? Obviously I'd take my duck to the tub. But it says no luck to a bath. So, what could it be instead?"

Christian started laughing, "You have a duck? Why does that not surprise me? You act like a man, but you are nothing more than a little kid! The great womanizer, Ivashkov, is just a ducky lover at heart."

Rose glared at them. "Guys, come on. I need to win this. Belikov wants me gone, and I'm not going to give him the satisfaction."

Mason looked serious, "Perhaps a pond? Or river? Some other source of water. Adrian, what is around here?"

Adrian thought, "In the back corner, there is a pond. In fact, I happen to know that there was a rubber duck there once! Let's go." The group raced off.

Standing around the pond, they all looked for the next clue. Finally, Eddie found what they were looking for. A rubber duck with a ribbon around its neck. A scroll was attached to the ribbon. Unraveling it Eddie read, "A place of safety, a place of refuge. Where one is at peace and all are welcome."

Christian looked ill. "No need to think about this one. I know where it is." Without another word, he walked off into the trees. The others all looked confused, but followed him anyway. He led them all the way across the campus to the chapel. He stood just inside the gate and didn't seem willing to take a step forward. Rose waved the others on, to go look for the next clue while she went to stand with him.

"Christian, how did you know to come here?" Rose spoke softly.

"My parents. They willing turned Strigoi, and then they came for me. My aunt told me to run to the church, that I would be safe there." He was just staring at the ground, not willing to look into her eyes.

"Christian, you know that wasn't your fault. You would never turn Strigoi. Anyone who actually pays attention to you will see that you are not your parents."

He shuffled his feet. "Thanks Jay. A lot of people don't bother to try to get to know me after they learn who I am."

"No problem. My best friend has everyone judge her based on her family too. It's hard to live up or down your parents' reputation." Rose laughed it off.

"Who?" Christian looked surprised.

"Vasilla Dragomir. Lissa to me. We've been friends since birth basically." His mouth dropped. That was the normal reaction when Rose told people who her best friend was.

"Princess Dragomir is your best friend? That is amazing. I heard she was hiding from public after the accident."

Before Rose could respond, Mason came running out from the church. In his hand was another clue. It was clear that Mason was excited.

"You guys! This says it is the last clue! 'As you reach the end, there is only one more thing. In addition to training and sleep, what else do you need?' Jamie, what do you think?" Mason was almost jumping in excitement.

Everyone stared at Rose, waiting for her to figure it out.

"Chocolate Donuts."

"Um… What?" Eddie looked confused. Adrian started laughing.

"Ah, princess, always thinking with your stomach aren't you?" He started leading the way to the cafeteria.

"I can't let Belikov see me yet. So we need to be sneaky. I want to surprise him that we won." Rose kept in the middle of the group.

In a few more minutes the group made their way into the cafeteria and sat around one of the tables. They just sat there and talked for the next several minutes waiting for anyone else to show up, hopeful that they would in fact be in the right spot.

Dimitri sat in his office after dismissing the novices, sorting papers on his desk when Ivan came in. Pulling out a chair, Ivan sat down across from Dimitri and just sat there. It was several minutes before Dimitri let out a sigh, knowing his best friend was going to stare at him all day if he didn't make the first move to open conversation.

"Yes, Ivan? I know you want something."

"Me? Why would I want anything? You are the one in a good mood. Care to share?"

"Hathaway wasn't in his bed this morning, I think he got the hint and went home. One less pansy for me to worry about. He should never have been here at all."

"Is that what you really think? What makes him any different than you when you first joined the guardians? As I recall, you were even worse."

"I was 10! Hathaway is supposedly 18, but he doesn't look a day over 16. You know how I feel about children fighting the Strigoi. It isn't their place. He needed to go back home and grow up some more." Dimitri slammed his fist onto his desk. "I won't be responsible for the slaughter of all my men because one boy couldn't hack it."

"I'm just saying, he might have surprised you. I bet that with a little bit of proper training, Hathaway would surpass everyone, maybe even you. He has an aura around him that gives of the sense of determination. Would you have volunteered to take the place of a father you never knew? I think Hathaway is stronger than you believe. If only you hadn't sent him home." Ivan leaned back in his chairs, arms reaching up behind his head as he contended with his friend. Rarely one to give into peer pressure, Dimitri wouldn't see reason when it came to Hathaway just because everyone else liked him. It would have to be through logic.

"Well, it's too late now. He's gone. I'm not going to chase after him. He's not worth it." Ivan chuckled at that.

"Oh friend, I think you would find that he is worth it, and so much more. Just remember, not everything is at it seems." With that Ivan got up.

"Come on, someone will be finishing the scavenger hunt soon. We'd better go meet them in the cafeteria.

Dimitri stood up and grabbed his leather duster. Swinging it around his shoulders, he thought about what Ivan said. Perhaps he was too hasty in kicking the boy out. Then he jolted. Hathaway's bed hadn't been made when he stopped by this morning. That meant the boy had at least slept in it. Perhaps he was still here. If he was, he hadn't reported to the meeting that morning. Or had he? Dimitri thought hard. He didn't recall seeing the boy, but Eddie and Mason had seemed a little more on edge than normal.

Shaking his head, he strode up to Ivan.

"You know, if the boy was still here, I could just make his life a living hell until he leaves. There are always toilets to clean, pots to wash, boots to shine."

Ivan was laughing as they pushed open the doors.

"You know, there are other ways to punish someone, they could always have to train with you!"

Dimitri joined in his friend's laughter. A quiet chuckle was all he allowed though. A laughing shrieck filled the air as they fully entered the cafeteria. There sitting at one of the tables were Adrian, Christian, Eddie, Mason and Jamie Hathaway.

Ivan shot Dimitri a look. "Remember what I said friend. Things aren't always what they seem.

Dimitri started towards the group, furious at having been disobeyed. Then he halted.

 _I can get either make Hathaway's life a living hell, or I can deny him the chance to train properly. There are lots of menial tasks that need done. If I never let him on guard duty, or do day training with him, there is no way he would be able to pass the qualifier. That's it. I'll let him stay, make him think he has a chance and then yank it out from under him._

Dimitri resumed his march to the group.

"Hathaway!" He barked "Since you feel the need to still be here, it's time you get to work. First assignment is to go into the gym and wipe down all the equipment. This will be your first task every day."

Rose looked up at him, "Relax Comrade, my group won the challenge. I get the day off, you said so this morning."

Dimitri flushed with anger. "Hathaway, you aren't even supposed to be here. The rest of the group gets the day off, but you have to make up for staying when I told you to leave."

It was Rose's turn to flush. "But that's not fair. I want to stay, I know I'm not very good, but I was never given the chance to train before coming here. My mother felt it was too risky. I want to learn to fight. How can I protect my family and my best friend, Lissa Dragomir from Strigoi if no one will teach me! Everyone else here has been given a chance, why do you hate me so much?"

Adrian was staring hard between the two. He hadn't realized it before, but their aura's were very interesting to watch when they were together. It was almost like they reached out to one another. He smirked, _oh this could be fun!_ Then he chimed into the conversation.

"Cousin, perhaps you really should give Jamie a chance. He might surprise you. I know for a fact that he's willing to do anything to make it, to fight. You forget that old saying, 'One man may be the difference between life and death.' Let Jamie stay, and I bet you that within a week, you will see an improvement."

Dimitri pinched his nose. First Ivan, now Adrian. Between the two, he was never going to be able to get rid of Hathaway without putting up a real fight first.

"Fine, he may stay. BUT he has to follow orders. And orders right now mean go clean the gym equipment."

"Yes sir." Rose stood up and with a fake bow, rushed out the door before Dimitri could say anything else.

 **AN: Thanks for reading! I have 2 weeks left in my semester at school, so I've been pretty busy. Updates will come when I can. The week after school gets out, I'm heading on my first ever cruise! So probably one more update before then. Anyway- I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The week passed quickly. Rose did each task that Dimitri assigned her without complaint. At least without vocal complaint. Today's assignment was washing pots and pans while everyone else learned how to use their stakes. Adrian bore the full brunt of her anger at this latest injustice.

"How dare he not allow me to learn to use a stake! He is stopping me from doing what I need to in order to kill Strigoi, what am I supposed to do, carry a sword? I haven't done a single thing that is actually productive. How does washing dishes or polishing boots help me learn how to fight Strigoi? At least Ivan lets me do group sparring. Though each time Dimitri supervises he always makes me fight two or three at once, so of course I lose every time. I beat Mason this morning though. Maybe tomorrow I'll beat at least one of the guys Dimitri assigns to annihilate me." She was pacing her room franticly while Adrian lounged on his bed.

"You know, you could always tell him you're a girl. I bet he would love that. I mean, haven't you seen how he is always looking at you?"

"Adrian, you are a pig. You know I would be sent home in disgrace if I told him the truth. And the fact that you are suggesting that Dimitri likes me proves that you are insane. He thinks I'm a guy for one thing, and for another, he is an arrogant, selfish, pompous brat who took one look at me and decided he didn't like me." She flopped on her bed and closed her eyes.

"Oh, Rose. You don't see what I see." Adrian chuckled. "If I know Dimitri, and I do, he won't send you home. At least, not your home." He winked.

Rose reached under her head, grabbed her pillow, and threw it at Adrian who just started laughing and kept going when she stood up and grabbed Ivan's key.

"I've got to let off some steam. I'll be back later." She snuck out and headed to the gym. She dodged around the corner to hide when she heard Dimitri's voice. She couldn't what he was saying and in a moment she couldn't hear him at all so she hoped he was heading out to the gate. She darted across the courtyard and went straight to the punching bag. She'd been at it for close to 45 minutes when the door swung open behind her. Whirling she launched at whoever had entered, not even caring at that moment, just needing to test her skills on someone else.

"Whoa! Down Jamie! I'm not gonna hurt you." Ivan jumped out of the way. Rose straightened and glared.

"Ivan, don't mess with me today. I need to vent. I'm mad at Belikov. He won't give me any actual training. I can't handle it. I need to learn how to really fight. You're his second, can't you teach me?"

Ivan shook his head. "No, I am a Moroi, our fighting style is too different. We use magic, you use stakes. I've never really used one. You can handle this. Try not to stress too much. Things will change soon. I promise. We are going on a field trip, and Dimitri has to let you come. I'll make sure you get a chance to prove yourself. Now, wipe your tears, and go back to bed."

Rose nodded and turned away. Before she could take more than a step though, Ivan's hand closed around her wrist and pulled her into a hug. After a moment he let her go, but kept a hold of her hands.

"Sorry, but you looked like you needed it. If you need someone to vent to, you can always come to me. I care about you." Ivan shuffled his feet. "You remind me of my sister." He pecked her check.

Rose gave a watery laugh, "Thanks Ivan. I'll see you in the morning." She headed back to her room. As she past a door just outside the gym, she swore she saw Dimitri whip out of sight, but when he didn't chase after her, she kept going. When she got back to her room she laid down and thought.

 _This field trip that Ivan mentioned is going to be my last chance to prove to Dimitri that I can do this. I wonder what we are going to do. If we run into any Strigoi, I'm sunk. I haven't learned how to truly use my stake, and I highly doubt that there will be a sword nearby._

She quickly fell asleep.

Dimitri was tired after dealing with the novices guarding the gate. He decided to head to the gym to get a quick work out in before heading off to bed. He was surprised to see that the door was open. Peeking around the corner he was shocked to see Ivan talking with someone. The person turned to walk out the door. It was Hathaway! Dimitri was about to walk in when suddenly Ivan grabbed him in a hug. An even bigger shock was when Ivan kissed Hathaway! His heart dropped to his stomach. Feeling his face flush with anger, Dimitri stepped back and walked into the room next to the gym, not wanting Hathaway to see him until he spoke with Ivan. He leaned his head back against the wall and thought about what he saw.

 _Ivan was hugging Hathaway. Why? Is Ivan attracted to him? Is Hathaway attracted to Ivan? That was not ok. It was a conflict to have a Novice involved with a Guardian. Plus, Ivan had a reputation as being a ladies man, so why was he suddenly interested in the boy. Not to mention the age difference. 7 years was quite a lot. Granted, Jamie did have a certain appeal. His eyes for one thing were very intriguing. They showed all the emotions that the boy was feeling. His skin looked soft… NO snap out of it Dimitri. It is not time for a man crush, especially on a novice, and extra especially on this one._

Dimitri shook his head to clear his thoughts, petrified at the direction they had taken. He strode into the gym to confront Ivan.

"Zeklos! Why was Hathaway in here and what were you doing with him? I saw you hug him, don't deny it. Are you involved with him? Is that why you want him to go on the field trip with us? Don't lie to me. He is barely 18, if that. I still think he lied about his birthday. You can't be involved with him. If you are, I'm going to send him home, no more chances."

Ivan started laughing. "You know Dimka, you almost sound jealous. Perhaps you have noticed how Jamie's eyes sparkle when he is excited, or how they seem to have fire in them when he talks back to you. He has passion. I wonder how that passion would translate in other things. Also he is really progressing with his skills. You should give him more credit. Even with your alternate assignments, Jamie is making amazing progress. Perhaps you should train him. Did you know that he comes here every morning before anyone else wakes up to work on strength training? Mason and Eddie meet him here occasionally and this morning, he knocked Mason out. You'd be proud. One week and already making a progress."

Dimitri stared at his friend. "How long have you been involved?"

Ivan shook his head, "My friend, we aren't involved. We are friends. Jamie is all yours. He told me that he wants to prove to you that he is more than just a boy and that he hopes you will someday approve of him."  
Dimitri turned around and stalked off. Turning back at the door he addressed his friend one last time.

"I will never approve of that boy. He is a thorn in my side and will wind up getting someone killed on this field trip. I will not train him. I will not speak to him. He will be gone by the end of the field trip."

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Ivan slumped his shoulders. His blue eyes narrowed in thought. _I wish Dimitri would open his eyes. Jamie is getting better and even though Dimitri doesn't know the truth, a blind man could see the attraction between the two. Never before had Dimitri acted like this with anyone. Not even his ex. Natasha had tried to convince Dimitri to give up being a guardian to have a family. He refused to give up his life though. After that he'd not spent any time dating. Perhaps I should drop more hints. I think him and Jamie would be perfect together. If Jamie ever decides to tell him the truth. I hope she does. They both deserve to be happy. Perhaps this field trip would allow him to push the two together more._

Rose woke up early again and headed to the gym. Mason and Eddie would meet her soon. She put her stuff on one of the mats and sat down to stretch. She saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She stood up and faced the shadows.

"I see Ivan was telling the truth. You do come here early to practice. Why would you do that?" Dimitri stepped into the light.

Rose's heart dropped. She was going to get kicked out, she'd finally done it. She'd been caught.

"I come because I want to be better. I want to learn to fight. I want to save Moroi. More importantly, I want to protect my father and my best friend. Lissa has promised me that I will be her guardian, so I have to be able to protect her. Why do you hate me so?"

Dimitri thought for a moment then said, "I don't hate you. You just are too immature and insubordinate and dangerous. You are wild and headstrong. You didn't have a single day of training before you show up here and in a month you want me to transform you into a full fledged guardian. You haven't even touched a stake have you?"

Fire sparked in Rose's brown eyes, "Who are you to judge me? You haven't bothered to get to know me. Perhaps you would understand more if you took the time to get to know people before casting judgements on them. Another thing, of course I hadn't trained. How was I supposed to? My mother brought me up in a commune. I'm sure you've heard of the stories of those places. This one was true. The only men who stuck around were Moroi who wanted to play for the night. I stayed to be with my mother who needed me. As for a stake, yes I have touched one but I haven't been taught how to use it yet. If you are so sure that I am dangerous, why don't you try to train me so that I won't be? Perhaps you should train those who need it because otherwise someone will get killed. Why won't you give me a chance?"

Dimitri stared. He'd forgot that this boy was like him. Raised in a commune, Dimitri had learned early on that he needed to protect his family. Not from Strigoi but from the Moroi who he had the misfortune of calling Father. Finally, this boy made sense. Sighing he stuck out his hand.

"You win. I'm calling a truce. You can do all the training that everyone else does, but you are behind. Since it is my fault, you will meet me here every day at 5am to train. If you are really serious, you will meet me here at 8pm as well. We will start after the field trip."

It was Rose's turn to stare. The man in front of her had done a complete 180. She felt it was too good to be true. She also was going to give Ivan a talking to for telling Dimitri about her secret training. At least her real secret hasn't been exposed yet.

"Very well, teach me all you know Comrade."

 **AN: Next chapter has some serious drama in it! ;) hope you all are as excited as I am by the fact that Dimitri is finally willing to train Rose!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Rose went through the day in a happy haze. Things were finally starting to look up. That morning, after her talk with Dimitri, she had managed to knock Mason to the ground. In the morning they were leaving for a week long field trip, a training exercise in which they would be working on survival skills. That evening, there was a meeting about it, to go over the rules one final time.

"Do not leave the area. Do not wander off. Stay in groups of two minimum. Listen to the whistles." Dimitri droned on in his no nonsense voice. "I don't want to have to find anyone who gets lost. If I have to find you, I will send you home. No second chances. This is your only warning."

Ivan chimed in, "Now don't worry. The area has been scouted out and there have been no signs of Strigoi in the vicinity. You will all have a stake just in case though. Now, everyone go get some sleep, we will see you all at 5am to head out."

The novices all noisily headed off to their dorms for the night. Rose stuck around though, wanting to talk to Ivan, to thank him for his help. Ivan and Dimitri had started walking away, back to their offices. Rose hurried to catch up to them, when their voices drifted back to her.

"You shouldn't have said anything about Strigoi. You know as well as I do about the reports of activity not even 50 miles from there. There could easily be Strigoi hiding out near where we are going. They need to be on guard the entire time we are there. If it wasn't vital to their training and their ability to graduate, I would cancel this whole trip." Dimitri was saying in a harsh whisper.

Ivan shrugged his shoulders, "Well, we will deal with that if it happens. Besides, what was that ' no second chances' deal. You know you would never actually send anyone home unless they caused major issues. Hence why you have yet to send Hathaway home. Secretly he intrigues you, doesn't he?"

Dimitri scowled. "Stop reading into things. I finally talked with him this morning, and you'll be happy to know that I agreed to give him one on one training after the field trip. Things will be easier afterwards, and besides we need all the fighters we can get. I have to go finish the training plans. I'll see you in the morning."

He strode off and Rose caught up to Ivan.

"Hey Ivan, thanks for the advice this morning. Dimitri seems to finally be willing to give me a chance. Provided I don't get into trouble."

"No problem Jamie. So how much did you hear of the conversation?" He glared knowingly at Rose.

"Well… I heard most of it honestly. I wasn't trying to listen, I just wanted to talk to you!" She shuffled her feet in admittance. "I promise not to say anything to anyone."

"Jamie, you'd better not. I have a feeling that if some of the novices found out there were Strigoi nearby they would go looking for them themselves. We don't need that, got it?" Ivan was serious, so Rose knew it was important.

"Of course Ivan. I won't say anything."

"Good, now go to bed. We will be leaving before you know it." Ivan gave her a playful shove towards the dorms.

Rose walked back to her room, her mind in turmoil. Strigoi close to their training? Why would they take them out there right now? Why not just pick a different spot? She worried about their safety. Dimitri must know what he was doing though, and she trusted him explicitly.

Morning dawned faster than she would've liked, but she was excited at the same time. She travelled with her group and they had fun just enjoying the peace. Christian was especially expressive, for him anyway.

"So Jamie, tell me how you met the princess?"

"We grew up not far from each other, and my mom did some work for her parents. One time my babysitter was sick, so mom had to take me with her. We became best friends. Her parents sort of adopted me after a while and I'd go on trips with them. Andre would pick on me just as if we were really siblings. Lissa always told me that she'd take me to Court with her, but then her parents died and she couldn't face them."

"I saw her once when we were all younger. It was Christmas and all the royals had been invited to spend it at Court with the Queen. She was very nice to me. Of course, that was before my parents went crazy, so I'm sure she'd be just as cold as the others now." His face slumped into his normal scowl.

"Now you listen to me Christian Ozera. Lissa is the kindest, sweetest, most loving and forgiving person alive and you would be lucky to be her friend. Now I can introduce you or I can tell her to stay as far away from you as possible. It's up to you." Rose wagged her finger at him and glared.

"You know Hathaway, I can tell that your best friend is a girl. You act like one half the time. Are you sure you are a guy?" Christian taunted her.

"I can kick your butt from here to court if you push me Ozera." The two of them were back to their safe zone of making fun of each other. The conversation had been getting too heavy for either of them.

Eddie chimed in, "You know, you really are improving. If you keep working on it, I can see you becoming top of the class."

"Especially after the trip and he starts getting private lessons from Belikov." Adrian blurted out.

"Adrian! I told you not to tell anyone!" Rose huffed.

"You are getting lessons from Belikov? That man is a god. I'm so jealous." Mason whined. "Besides, you kicked my butt yesterday, you are pretty much caught up as is."

"There is always room for improvement Mas. If Belikov is finally taking a notice of our boy here, and not just to kick him out, then we should be happy." Eddie was always the voice of reason.

"Besides, I was going to teach you everything he taught me, but if you think you can beat him, then by all means, go for it." Rose got the last word. As usual.

Before they knew it, they had reached the forest where their training would take place.

The days passed by in a blur. Before Rose knew it, the trip was half over. That night she was assigned to guard duty. She was paired with Mason.

"Jamie, I need to tell you something." Mason seemed nervous about something as they walked the perimeter of the camp, keeping an eye out for any disturbances.

"You know you can tell me anything Mas. We are friends aren't we?" Rose was more than willing to listen. She missed her chats with Lissa, and it was nice to have a friend to talk to.

"Well, of course we are. But, I was wondering if perhaps, we could be more? I have to admit that I find you attractive. I didn't think I was gay, but then I met you. If you don't feel the same, I understand. I just wanted to let you know how I feel. I promise if you say no, I won't be weird around you." Mason's words just flowed out of him in a rush.

"Mason, you are a great friend, and any person, guy or girl, would be lucky to have you in their life. However I think at this time, we should just stay friends. We need to focus on training. I promise that when the time comes, we can chat about this again." Rose tried to gently let him down.

"I figured that's what you would say. Besides, it seems like you have a crush on someone else. I won't stand in Belikov's way."

"Mason, I…" Rose cut off and stared over Mason's shoulder. She'd seen something in the shadows. She strained her eyes, her body on full alert. There! Movement. She spoke to Mason again, without taking her eyes off the spot.

"Mason, run back to camp. Tell Dimitri that there is something coming. Hurry!"

"What do you mean?" Mason hadn't seen anything.

"JUST RUN!" Rose shouted, hoping to startle him into movement. It worked. He hurried off towards camp.

"Well, looks like I get a special price. A female dhampir, out here alone? What could you be doing?" Red eyes met her shocked brown ones as the figure stepped out from behind the tree.

"I'm here to kick your butt." Rose ground out from behind her clenched teeth. She was scared, but couldn't show it. She just hoped Dimitri would be here soon. Maybe she could hold the Strigoi off until then.

"It's interesting that your friend seems to think you are a boy. I can see what he sees, but your scent is undeniably female. Perhaps you should take that ring off, show me what I am really getting."

Rose was torn. Perhaps it would shock the Strigoi long enough to give her a chance. Then again, maybe it would get her killed. She decided to take a chance and pulled of her ring. Tucking it deep into her pocket, she glared at the Strigoi who looked pleased.

"My, you are stunning. Perhaps I should make you immortal, you would enjoy it pet." The Strigoi stalked closer, Rose could see more features coming into view on the pale face of the once Moroi in front of her.

"Tell me, did you chose to become a monster?" Rose spoke in a flippant tone, meant to taunt the Strigoi into action.

"No, but I will be forever grateful that I was turned. It is so much better. Yes, the magic is gone, but the power is greater than any magic. You should join me in eternal night." He moved closer and closer, and yes, there was an opening. Rose lunged. The Strigoi leapt to the side, but Rose managed to nick him. That just served to piss him off.

He started circling Rose and was about to grab her when Dimitri ran out of the trees and pushed her to the side. In the same step he spun and plunged his stake into the Strigoi's chest.

"Miss, are you alright?" Dimitri turned back to the girl he had pushed out of the way, concern evident on his face. His eyes widened in surprise. Warm melted chocolate eyes met his and a nudge of recognition pounded in his chest. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, her dark hair flowing around her shoulders, accenting her almond shaped eyes and lightly tanned skin. She was nodding, her full lips parted in the start of a word, when 3 novices burst onto the scene. Mason, Eddie and Christian looked around for any danger. Mason was frantic.

"Where's Jamie? He was right here! Did the Strigoi get him? Who are you?" He noticed Rose standing there. What was odd was that she had the same jacket on that Jamie had had.

"My name is Rose. I don't know who you are talking about." She hated lying to Mason, but she didn't want her secret to come out yet. She turned to Dimitri. "Thank you for your help. I must go now."

He grabbed her arm and started dragging her back to camp with him.

"Oh no. I cannot let you run off while there are Strigoi around. It is unsafe. You will stay with me until we can return you to your family." He was stern.

"I really shouldn't. I must get going. Besides, it sounds like you have a missing man. You should focus on finding him. I'll be ok. I promise." Rose pulled her arm out of his grip. With a smile she added. "Thank you again for saving me." She loped off into the trees, trying to put distance between her and Dimitri. However, Dimitri swiftly caught up to her.

"I told you, you are coming with me. Tomorrow I will escort you to your family. They must be worried sick about you. I'll send out one of my teams to look for Jamie. Chances are though he is already back at camp. My guess is the Strigoi caught sight of you and chased you instead of him." Dimitri stood with his arms crossed. "Now are you going to come with me, or will I have to carry you back to my camp?"

"Really, I will be fine. I'm not far from home, and I need to get back. You should go back to your camp and prepare for an attack. That Strigoi wasn't alone."

It was a shot in the dark, she didn't know if he was alone or not, but with recent developments chances where there were others nearby. He'd probably been a scout. It was a safe bet to prepare in case.

"Be that as it may, I would prefer if you would stay with me for the rest of the night. In the morning, you can go, but grant me this small favor, so that I don't have to worry about your safety." Dimitri was quite the gentleman when he wasn't trying to kick someone out of the guardians. She gave in, knowing that unless she did, he would follow her and the camp would be attacked.

When they got back to camp, he led her to the main tent. Ivan was lounging in front of the fire and leapt to his feet when Dimitri walked in.

"Dimitri, what happened? Mason said there were Strigoi?" He looked behind Dimitri as Rose entered. "Do I know you? You look familiar."

She shook her head, "No, I don't think you do."

"Ivan, Mason is correct. There was a Strigoi, attacking Rose here. I took care of it. The problem is Jamie is missing. Did he come back to camp?"

Ivan glanced at Rose, catching her slight nod. "No, I haven't seen him. Why don't you go look while I get our guest settled?" Dimitri looked to Rose and nodded.

"Stay with Ivan. He will take care of you. I'll be back soon." He swept out of the tent.

"Well Jamie, I assume this is how you really look? Or should I call you Rose? Are you going to tell me the truth, or should I guess?" Ivan pouted.

"Very funny Ivan. Yes, my real name is Rose. Mason and I were patrolling, I saw the Strigoi and I told him to get Dimitri. The Strigoi knew I was a girl from my scent, so I tried to distract him by removing the charm. It worked for a moment, but when I attacked, he reacted faster than I had hoped and I missed. That's when Dimitri showed up. He killed the Strigoi and now won't leave me alone. If I try to put on the ring now, he will send everyone out looking for Rose. He promised to let me go in the morning, so I'm hopeful that I can come back to camp in the afternoon with a tale of getting lost in the woods after chasing after a Strigoi." Rose paced back and forth, trying to figure a way out of the mess she'd gotten herself into.

"You know, you could always just tell Dimitri the truth." Ivan was quick to rejoin. If Dimitri wouldn't admit to an attraction to Rose because he thought Rose was a guy, maybe he'd be fine to admit to liking Rose herself.

Rose laughed. "I can't do that. He really would send me home! I have to be able to protect my family. My sister. She doesn't trust people easily and I want to be her guardian. Besides, I almost took down that Strigoi, a few lessons from Dimitri, and I'll have it in the bag."

"Perhaps." Ivan left it at that. The two sat in silence for a little while. Soon however they could hear arguing getting closer to the tent.

"But we have to go out there! We have to find Jamie. Ask that girl again. She's wearing his coat. She knows what happened to him, I know it." Mason's voice was full of panic and pleading.

"No Ashford. It's too dangerous. Jamie will have to find his own way back. We can go look in the morning for clues, but right now we have nothing to go on. No ideas where he might have gone." Dimitri retorted in a no nonsense tone.

"The girl knows something. Please let me speak to her. I need to find Jamie." Mason sounded so depressed. Rose thought perhaps it was time to tell him her secret. She stood up and walked out the tent.

"I met a guy in the woods, before the Strigoi attacked. He seemed to know that they were there. He handed me his jacket and told me to stay hidden. Then he ran off into the woods. Another Strigoi found me and that's when Mr. Belikov here saved me." She glanced at the group. Adrian was smirking at her while Mason, Eddie and Christian looked thunderous.

"See! He's out there. We have to find him. Please, let us go look." Mason looked hopeful.

"No. Now go back to your tents. We will discuss our options in the morning." Dimitri glared at Mason.

Eddie and Christian each grabbed an arm and dragged Mason away. Adrian lingered and, glancing between Rose and Dimitri, smirked.

"My cousin, the hero. Always having to rescue damsels in distress. Tell me beautiful, are you ok?" He bowed to Rose, playing the part of an enamored aristocrat.

"My good sir, I'm fine. Your cousin saved me before any harm came to me." Rose was trying not to laugh at the look of incredulity on Dimitri's face.

"You two know each other, don't you?" He said, slightly crestfallen. He'd like to get to know this dark eyed beauty better, but if she knew his cousin then his chances were slim.

"We've met a couple times over the years. My sister and Adrian run in the same circles." Rose told a small lie. She'd seen Adrian of course, but never actually talked to him and Lissa was a sister, though not blood related.

"I see." Dimitri rounded suddenly. "I'll leave you two to catch up." He stormed away. Adrian tried hard to hold in his laugh but failed.

"My cousin is jealous! How wonderful. It seems you have caught his eye Rose. But onto the important thing. Are you going to tell him the truth now?" He turned his jade eyes on her, making her squirm in her seat.

"No, of course not. I do need to tell Mason though. Perhaps you could 'escort' me there, so Dimitri won't be upset?" She was trying not to panic.

"Probably a good idea." Adrian agreed.

They swiftly went to their assigned group spot.

"I'll grab Christian. Can you get Eddie and Mason?" Rose asked Adrian as they approached. He nodded in agreement and they both entered different tents.

"Hey Pyro, come out here will you? I need to talk to you." Rose used her Jamie voice to call into the tent.

"Hathaway! You're back. It's about time. I told Mason not to worry…" Christian's voice cut off as he caught sight of Rose. "You're not Jamie. What's going on?"

"I'll tell you in a moment. We just need Eddie and Mason first." She turned to their tent, wondering what was taking so long.

Adrian came back out, his face ashen. He was holding a sheet of paper.

 _Christian and Adrian,_

 _I'm sorry we didn't tell you we were leaving, but you two are needed here. We went to find Jamie. Try to keep Belikov occupied. We should be back by sunrise._

 _Eddie and Mason_

 _PS if Jamie beats us back, hog tie him for us!_

Rose blanched. Eddie and Mason were gone.

 **AN: I'm back! Sorry for the delay, it's been a crazy month and honestly, writing was the last thing on my mind. I have the next chapter almost written, so updates should be faster. Thank you all so much for sticking with me on this journey!  
** _Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or the characters :( But I get to play with them all I want!_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The three of them stood there in shocked silence. Finally Rose spoke.

"I have to go after them. You two stay here and don't let Dimitri know what is going on. I should be back with them soon." She ducked into her tent, grabbing her water canteen and first aid kit. She wasn't sure what state she would find Eddie and Mason and wanted to be prepared.

Christian stared at her, still unsure who she was. Throwing on his normal cocky attitude he teased her. "I'm guessing that you are really Jamie, aren't you?" She glared at him.

"If you don't want to end up on fire, you will keep your mouth shut about that." Rose hissed. "Now we need to focus. I have to find Eddie and Mason, it's my fault they are gone. Dimitri is protective of girls and wouldn't let me out of his sight if I wasn't with Adrian. So I have to sneak off and Adrian has to pretend that I am here."

"Princess, don't worry about it. I'll handle my cousin. You and Christian go. You might need help." Adrian started pushing her and Christian towards the back of the camp.

"Thanks Adrian I owe you." Rose took off on a circle of the camp, heading back to the last place she'd seen Mason. Back to where it all went wrong.

Christian struggled to keep up with her. Finally they reached the tree line and Rose started looking for clues.

"Light please?" She whispered to Christian, not wanting to give away her position if anyone was around.

Christian held a ball of fire in his hand, standing next to her.

"Look at that branch. It's broken. Should we try that way?" He asked Rose, not knowing what else to say to her. He didn't want to admit it but, she was beautiful. In her own way of course. He thought back on all his chats with Jamie, trying to put the two together.

Rose nodded, "Yes, we'll head that way." She again took off into the woods. After about an hour of stopping and adjusting their path based on tracks they arrived at the edge of a ravine. They could hear noises coming from just down the ridge. Cautiously they crept forward.

Christian help up both hands full of fire, and Rose gripped her stake in her left hand and her right hand was held in a fist, ready to strike out if needed. Stepping around a tree, they could see someone walking towards them in the dim light.

"1…2…3" Rose jumped out, her fist snapping out to make contact with the face of the person standing there.

"OUCH!" Eddie yelled. "What was that…Christian? What are you doing here? Rose?" Rose starting frantically apologizing and demanding to know where Mason was.

"Mason, the loveable idiot, ran straight off the edge of the ravine. He's currently stuck on a ledge. I was looking for something to get him with and I found a branch that should work. Come help me."

Eddie lead them to Mason. Leaning over the edge, Rose called down to him.

"Mas, you ok? Eddie, Christian and I are gonna get you out!" Eddie lowered the branch the 10 feet down Mason was and Mason used it to climb out, with the other 3 holding the branch steady.

"Thanks, there were no hand holds to be found Don't fall down there! Now, let's go find Jamie. He can't be too far away." Mason brushed past Rose, completely ignoring her.

"Mason, I'm right here." She said, reach out to grab his arm, trying to get him to listen. "I'll prove it. Here. Look at me. Watch." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her ring. Taking a deep breath, she slid it back on her. She watched the boys' eyes squint, trying to understand what they were seeing. It looked like Rose had an image laid over top of herself, it was fuzzy and wobbled in and out of view.

"What kind of magic is this?" A voice rang out from behind them. Standing in the shadow of a tree, was another Strigoi. "Well, it doesn't matter, it's not every day that three dhampir and a Moroi wander so close to our home. Please, join us for dinner." The Strigoi smirked and gestured to the group, as if he really was extending an invitation of welcome to honored guests. Laughing, more Strigoi stepped into view, surrounding the group of friends.

Rose gripped her stake, trying to think of a way out of this mess. All she could do was hope that Adrian would realize something had gone wrong and send in the cavalry. At a signal from the first Strigoi, the group surrounding them leapt. Rose kicked out and lashed with her stake, hearing a reassuring grunt of pain. Before she could get into position to stake one though, something hit her hard on the back of the head, the world fading into darkness.

SUPER short chapter, sorry about that. I'm also sorry it has been so long since I last updated. I'm hoping to be able to update again soon, but no promises. College is kicking my butt- If you can, get at least most of your schooling out of the way before having kids! I'm doing online classes and my 3 year old and my 1.5 year old are driving me crazy! Haha hope you enjoy this little chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Rose woke to a door slamming. She panicked for a moment, trying to flail as her eyes adjusted to the dim lantern light. Taking a deep breath, she took note of her surroundings. It looked like they were in a cellar. The walls and floor were caked in dirt, and hanging from a hook in the corner was a dusty lamp that give off a hazy light. Glancing around she noticed that Eddie and Mason were still unconscious but Christian was looking right at her. He seemed to be trying to get her attention. When he caught her eye, he gestured with his head, trying to get Rose to see what was behind her. Twisting as best she could, Rose caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She started. Just off to the side of them was another Moroi, a girl with ringlet blonde curls. She looked half dead, her skin much paler than was normal for a Moroi.

"Hello." The girl whispered, her voice harsh from disuse. "My name is Mia. I'm sorry they captured you. Do you have ideas of how to get out of here?"

Rose stared. She couldn't think of what they could be holding them hostage for. It wasn't normal for Strigoi to act like this. It was rare for them to leave anyone alive, let alone hold 5 prisoners.

Thinking back to the last time Rose had been pulled into Lissa's head, she realized that some of the rumors must have been true. 3 weeks before the call for more guardians came, Lissa had overheard Priscilla Voda and Daniella Ivashkov at a party talking about the attack at the Badics' the week before. Rose slipped into the memory.

 _Lissa wound through the crowd. It was moments like this that she missed Rose. She had grown up outside of Court and while normally she didn't mind, after the accident, it was up to her to schmooze and keep the Dragomirs in action. She knew those that were her age, but with this party, most of them weren't there. Adrian was in the corner talking to one of the guardians, and Camille and Aaron were dancing. Standing by the punch bowl, Priscilla was looking somber. Her eyes scanned the crowd._

" _Priscilla. Is it true?" Daniella sidled up to the elderly woman, her green eyes piercing the blue. Priscilla sighed._

" _Which part? That the Badics' wards were staked? That humans are working with the Strigoi? Or that there were at least 6 of them?"_

" _Why are they suddenly hunting in packs? Are we all in danger or just those living on their own?"_

" _We don't know the answers yet, hopefully new evidence will come to life. In the meantime, the Queen is holding council meetings to determine what we are going to do. You will keep this to yourself, yes?" Priscilla suddenly realized how much she was sharing and looked around. Lissa caught her eye, standing just a short distance away with a dazed look on her face. "Excuse me Daniella."_

" _Vasilissa, anything you heard is to be kept to yourself. I know you are worried, but your safety has been assured. We have doubled the guardians in your town as the Queen knows you won't move to Court yet. Though the offer still stands."_

" _Thank you, Princess Voda. I am glad to know that the Queen is trying to find a solution." Lissa bowed and retreated back to the sidelines. Her head was spinning. What would Rose say when she got back home? Lissa knew chances were that Rose had already seen what was going on, the bond tended to work when she was worried._

A loud bang snapped Rose back into her own head. Mason had woken up and toppled his chair over. Christian started laughing. "Only you Mason, would attempt to leap out of a chair you are tied to."

"Shut it Christian. We have more important things to worry about than Mason's inability to not fall over." Rose was looking around the room. It was clear they were in some kind of cellar. The lights from the lanterns didn't light up the corners and Rose worried about what, or rather who, could be lurking there. "We need to focus on how to get out of here."

"Yes, I would love to hear your plan on how to get out of here. You are a little tied up at the moment aren't you? Don't worry, you will be able to go free. As long as one of your companions choose to become one of us. Young Christian or pretty Mia. Which one, which one. Who will choose to throw off the shackles of mortality and join us in the glorious immortal life. Simply pick a dhampir to drain, then turn the others. It's quite simple. There is no other way to escape."

A tall Strigoi stepped out of the shadows into the light of the lantern. He walked to Eddie and tipped his head up. Eddie tried to fight back, but to no avail. "Until you make a choice, there will be no food or water provided. I however am very thirsty, and while Moroi is very decedent, I do enjoy dhampir as well." With that he sunk his teeth into Eddie's neck. Taking a step back, the Strigoi glanced around the room. "Don't take too long to decide." Laughing he melted back into the shadows, his footsteps audible this time. A door squeaked open then closed with a slight click. Everyone glanced at each other, thinking what they would do.

After that time blurred. Rose drifted off to sleep at one point.

 _"Finally! Is everyone ok? Rose, where are you?" Adrien appeared and frantically started asking questions while wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close._

 _"Adrien- can't breathe!" Rose gasped, pushing him back. "How long have we been gone? Is Dimitri freaking out? You haven't told him who I am, have you?"_

 _"You've been gone about 50 hours, yes he is freaking out. In fact, he is currently scouring the woods for you. Apparently you made quite the impression on my cousin. No I have not told him who you are. I wouldn't without your permission."_

 _"Thanks. We are in a cellar somewhere, we've only seen one Strigoi since we got here, but he has drunk from Eddie twice. We don't have much time before he'll be gone." Quickly telling Adrian where the Strigoi had found them by the cliff, it wasn't long until Rose woke up. A plan was formulating in her mind._

Dimitri strode between the tents, purpose in his steps. He couldn't help but think of the girl he had saved. She was strikingly beautiful, but more than that, he knew her. He couldn't remember where from, but he knew he had heard her laugh before, the tinkling charm she showed when talking to Adrien. His smile faltered as he thought back to how easily they had interacted. Adrien had shaped up quite a lot lately, but he was still the same playboy cousin Dimitri had always known. Shaking his head, Dimitri entered the circle of light provided by the fire in front of Adrien's tent. There was no one around. Mustering his courage, he poked his head inside Adrien's tent, worried about what he would find.

"ADRIEN! Where is she?" Dimitri's roar startled the sleeping Adrien, causing him to roll of his cot.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Adrian groggily stared at his cousin, confusion written all over his face. "What are you talking about Dimitri?"

Dimitri glowered at his cousin, struck again by the realization that they were in fact related. "I mean the girl. You promised you would look out for her, so where is she? I wanted to talk to her."

"Oh. I see, you are quite taken with her aren't you?" Adrian started laughing a little. "She is fine. She just went for a walk with Christian. They have some mutual interests and she wanted to get to know him a little better. After they get back, I'll send her your way. Now if you don't mind, I need my beauty rest."

"They went for a walk? In the middle of the night? Do you take me for a fool? What is really going on Ivashkov?" Dimitri was starting to fume.

"Ok. You want to know. She was apparently sneaking up her to spend time with Christian. Apparently, they are lovers. I only figured it out when they stood side by side and their aura's reacted. Rather like yours has been lately."

"What? She is the only girl I've been near in weeks." Dimitri despised Adrien's aura's as he almost always turned out to be right.

Adrian grinned and replied as he laid back on his cot. "A girl, no, but there has been someone you've been around lately. A certain brown haired wisp, perhaps. Good night Dimitri. I'll send Rose to you as soon as she comes back."

Dimitri glared at his cousin's back and stalked out of the tent. A million thoughts ran through his head. _Was Adrien referring to Hathaway? That's preposterous. I am not attracted to men. Why would he imply that? He must be drunk again. And seeing things. As for me being 'taken' with Rose, I just met her. I merely wanted to find out how I know her. She is a beautiful girl, but can't be over 18. I just want to make sure she gets home safe. Her family must be worried sick about her._

Lost in his thoughts, Dimitri wandered around camp, keeping an eye out for the girl who's laugh was familiar. Before he realized it, it was sunrise. The light caught the end of camp, where Ivan stood, having just finished his patrol. Dimitri strolled towards his best friend, intent on asking him if he had ever met Rose, when he paused as Adrian approached Ivan from the other direction. Ducking behind a tree, he was curious as to what they had to talk about. Neither ever really got on with the other, so it should be an interesting conversation.

"Zeklos- Rose and Christian are still gone. They should've been back by now with Mason and Eddie." Adrian appeared worried.

"You don't think they ran into trouble do you? Maybe they just got lost. I'm sure they will be back soon. They could've fallen asleep as well." Ivan was concerned as well.

"I thought about that, but I tried multiple times to reach her in her dreams, and all I got was black. I don't think she's conscious."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE ISN'T CONSCIOUS!?" Dimitri forgot about hiding behind the tree and stormed towards his cousin and friend.

 **AN: HI EVERYONE! I'm so sorry it has been so long since I last updated. Life got crazy, and I lost my desire to write. Here's a super short chapter for you. I thank you all for your patience and I hope that you enjoy the New Year. Bring on 2019!**


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